SHELLING and military combat near Europe's biggest nuclear power plant is extremely dangerous and brings "very high risk" of nuclear disaster.
The head of Ukraine's state nuclear power firm has given a very worrying warning over fighting and shelling near Zaporizhzhia, which is currently being occupied by Russian soldiers.
Not only are the nuclear reactors at risk, there is also containers holding highly radioactive material.
It is thought there is around 174 containers holding the very radioactive substances.
Energoatom's chief, Petro Kotin, said the containers hold the most dangerous substances on the site, and if they are shelled it could cause a huge radioactive cloud.
He said the that explosions could distribute the substances "around this place and then we will have like a radiation cloud and then the weather will decide… which direction the cloud goes."
Read our Ukraine-Russia blog below for the latest updates…
- Lauren Lomas
Zelensky: Ukraine must liberate Crimea
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken out about the invasion of Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014.
He said Ukraine will “never give up” on reclaiming Crimea, after a Russian military base was shelled there yesterday.
The explosions on the military base killed one person, reportedly.
However, Ukraine has insisted that it was not to blame for the blasts in the annexed nation.
Zelensky spoke last night, saying: “We will not forget that the Russian war against Ukraine began with the occupation of Crimea.
“The Russian war… began with Crimea and must end with Crimea, with it’s liberation.”
He did not reference the blasts directly in his speech, however.
Credit: AP - Lauren Lomas
Denmark pledge to help train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK
It has been reported that Denmark will send military instructors to the UK as part of the training effort to help Ukraine win against Russia.
The Danish defence minister told Jylands-Posten newspaper that: “Within a short time, Denmark is sending 130 military instructors to a British training project, Morten Bodskov told the publication.
Ukrainian soldiers with limited training will have combat and tactical operation training.
A conference will be held tomorrow, where Danish, Ukrainian and British defence ministers will discuss the long term support for Ukraine in Copenhagen.
- Lauren Lomas
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters thinks Joe Biden is a war criminal
The band’s co-founder blames Biden and Zelensky for the war.
Roger Waters co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 but the 78-year-old is most famed now for his outspoken views about the Russia and Ukraine war.
Waters blames Biden for fuelling the fire and suggests Zelensky cooperates and attempts to negotiate.
- Louis Allwood
Russian oil pipeline flows set to resume
Russian oil flows halted to parts of Europe should resume after Hungarian group MOL paid transit fees owed to Ukraine, officials and a minister said, providing a temporary solution to the latest disruption of Russian energy supplies.
Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported the pipeline monopoly Transneft planned to resume oil pumping through the southern branch of the Druzhba, or Friendship, pipeline at 1600 Moscow time.
- Louis Allwood
Russia hit with another explosion
This morning another column of smoke erupted from an explosion and fire at a seaside resort in mainland Russia.
Images show an industrial site ablaze in Yeysk, a popular holiday destination on the Sea of Azov near the border with Ukraine.
Russia said an electronics warehouse had caught fire and denied claims in Ukrainian media that "saboteurs" had attacked an oil depot.
- Louis Allwood
MoD release latest intelligence map
The UK’s Ministry of Defence have released their latest intelligence update.
The map below shows the latest situation down on the ground in Ukraine.
- Louis Allwood
Destroyed £19m Russian fighter jet after ‘Ukraine strike’
The charred wreck of a £19million Russian warplane lies in a sea of debris after the first suspected Ukrainian attack on annexed Crimea – as a second apparent strike today sparked a massive depot blaze.
The smouldering Su-24 ground attack jet is pictured in the aftermath of up to 15 explosions at Saki air base near Novofedorivka yesterday.
- Louis Allwood
Russia accused of using power plant as 'nuclear shield'
Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of exploiting its position in a nuclear power plant it had seized to target a nearby town in a rocket attack that killed at least 13 people and left many others seriously wounded.
Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, accused Russia of launching attacks on Ukrainian towns with impunity from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the knowledge that it was risky for Ukraine to fight back.
"Eighty reactive rockets fired at residential buildings," Yermak wrote on the Telegram messaging service, referring to the attack on Marhanets.
"The terrorist nation is continuing to fight against civilians. The cowardly Russians can't do anything more so they strike towns ignobly hiding at the Zaporizhzhia atomic power station", he wrote.
- Lauren Lomas
Russia to use Iranian combat drones, says US
US officials told CNN that Russia is preparing to use Iranian drones to use in it's offensive against Ukraine.
CNN reported that an unknown official said: "During the last several weeks, Russian officials conducted training in Iran as part of the agreement for UAV transfers from Iran to Russia."
In July, the National Security Adviser for America, Jake Sullivan, had said Tehran could soon sell attack drones to Russia.
However, the Iranian foreign minister rejected the reports and called them "baseless".
This file handout picture provided by the Iranian Army on May 28, 2022, reportedly shows military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones)Credit: AFP
- Lauren Lomas
Russians must stop visiting Europe as it is 'not a human right,' says Estonian Prime Minister
Reportedly Russian's are using tourist visas to dodge flight bans.
Airlines from Russia have been banned from entering Europe since February 2022.
Citizens from Russia can use Schengen visas to cross by land first to then leave the country.
Taking to Twitter, Kaja Kallas, the PM for Estonia said it is "time to end tourism from Russia now."
"Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right," said Kallas.
- Lauren Lomas
Stranded corn cargo on ship in desperate need of new buyer
The vessel was bound for Lebanon, but it has since cancelled the order, leaving the ship and the crew in limbo in the Black Sea.
Just off the coast of Turkey, the ship is waiting for a new purchaser for thousands of tonnes of corn.
It is loaded with what is thought to be 26,000 tonnes of corn.
Razoni, the vessel, was reportedly the first ship allowed to leave Ukraine after Russia blocked all exports from the nation.
Unfortunately the ship has hit another brick wall, and is awaiting instructions to set sail for a new location.
- Lauren Lomas
Kremlin claims West should pressure Ukraine to stop shelling power plant
The Kremlin said on Monday that Western countries should push Kyiv to stop shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for strikes on Europe’s largest nuclear power station, which is controlled by Russian forces.
- Lauren Lomas
Denmark pledge to help train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK
It has been reported that Denmark will send military instructors to the UK as part of the training effort to help Ukraine win against Russia.
The Danish defence minister told Jylands-Posten newspaper that: "Within a short time, Denmark is sending 130 military instructors to a British training project, Morten Bodskov told the publication.
Ukrainian soldiers with limited training will have combat and tactical operation training.
A conference will be held tomorrow, where Danish, Ukrainian and British defence ministers will discuss the long term support for Ukraine in Copenhagen.
- Lauren Lomas
Shelling kills 13 Ukrainian's in Dnipropetrovsk
Overnight shelling in the central eastern Ukrainian town has heavily damaged buildings and killed several civilians, it was reported.
A school was damaged, as well as homes and public spaces.
13 further individuals have been injured, and another 13 were killed as a result of the blast.
Valentyn Reznychenko said Russia's military had "directed 80 rockets at residential areas" as "people were sleeping in their homes".
Ukrainian National Policeâs press service shows a damaged private building after shelling in Marhanets of Dnipropetrovsk area, Ukraine, 10 August 2022Credit: EPA - Lauren Lomas
Iranian satellite used for Ukrainian surveillance?
The satellite was launched by Russian, however Terhan has denied it will be used for watching Ukraine.
Reportedly the satellite has been launched from Kazakhstan, but Iran has announced it is not in Russian control.
It was reported by the Washington Post previously that Moscow had "plans to use the satellite for several months, or longer, to enhance it's surveillance of military targets."
However, Iran has insisted that it will only be used by it's own space agency, and it will have "no third country" using it to access information.
- Lauren Lomas
Zelensky: Ukraine must liberate Crimea
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken out about the invasion of Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014.
He said Ukraine will "never give up" on reclaiming Crimea, after a Russian military base was shelled there yesterday.
The explosions on the military base killed one person, reportedly.
However, Ukraine has insisted that it was not to blame for the blasts in the annexed nation.
Zelensky spoke last night, saying: "We will not forget that the Russian war against Ukraine began with the occupation of Crimea.
"The Russian war… began with Crimea and must end with Crimea, with it's liberation."
He did not reference the blasts directly in his speech, however.
Rising smoke can be seen from the beach at Saky after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, CrimeaCredit: AP - Lauren Lomas
Russia halts oil flowing through a Ukrainian pipeline
Oil is delivered through a pipeline that supplies more than three nations, and has been cut off since 4 August.
The company, Transneft, said the halt comes to an issue with the European Union sanctions.
It said there was a payment that was bounced back on 28 July, reportedly resulting in the caseation of the oil flow.
- Joseph Gamp
Philippines cancels Russia helicopter deal over US sanctions
The Philippines has scrapped an order for 16 Russian military helicopters, an official confirmed Wednesday, following reports former president Rodrigo Duterte decided to cancel it due to US sanctions on Moscow.
Manila — a longtime Washington ally — agreed in November to pay 12.7 billion pesos ($228 million) for the Mi-17 helicopters, as it seeks to modernise its military hardware.
The United States and its allies imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow in the wake of its assault on Ukraine in February.
They are aimed at cutting off Russia from the global financial system and choking off funds available to Moscow to finance the war.
The Philippine defence department was "formalising the termination" of the contract, spokesman Arsenio Andolong said Wednesday.
Without mentioning US sanctions on Moscow, Andolong told AFP "changes in priorities necessitated by global political developments resulted in the cancellation of the project by the previous administration".
- Joseph Gamp
Russia says it destroyed German-made anti-aircraft system
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that Russian forces destroyed a German-supplied Gepard anti-aircraft system in use by Ukrainian forces in the Mykolaiv region.
In its daily briefing, the defence ministry also said it had shot down three Ukrainian warplanes in the Mykolaiv region, as well as seven HIMARS missiles in the neighbouring Kherson region.
- Joseph Gamp
Russia establishes new ground forces formation to support Ukraine operation, UK says
Russia has "almost certainly" established a major new ground forces formation to support its operations in Ukraine, Britain said on Tuesday.
This unit, called the 3rd Army Corps, is based out of the city of Mulino, east of Russia's capital Moscow, the British Defence Ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin on Twitter.
The update also added that Russian commanders continued to face "competing operational priorities" of reinforcing its offensive in the eastern Donbas region, as well as strengthening its defence against Ukrainian counterattacks in south.
Moscow refers to the Ukraine invasion as a "special military operation".
- Joseph Gamp
13 civilians killed in Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk region says governor
Thirteen civilians were killed by Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, the local governor said on Wednesday.
"It was a terrible night. 11 people were killed," Valentin Reznichenko wrote on Telegram.
He added in a later post that two more people had died of their injuries overnight.
Twelve of the victims were killed in strikes on the village of Marganets, on the other side of the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, said Mykola Lukashuk, the regional council head.
"Administrative buildings were damaged: high-rise buildings, a school, a cultural palace, a city council building," he said.
"In the town, the power line has been cut. Several thousand people are without electricity."
Reznichenko urged residents to heed air raid sirens and find shelter.
"I am asking and begging you… Don't let the Russians kill you," he said.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters thinks Joe Biden is a war criminal
The band’s co-founder blames Biden and Zelensky for the war.
Roger Waters co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 but the 78-year-old is most famed now for his outspoken views about the Russia and Ukraine war.
Waters blames Biden for fuelling the fire and suggests Zelensky cooperates and attempts to negotiate.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Ukraine arrest undercover security agents
Ukraine’s domestic security service arrested two people allegedly working for Russian intelligence.
The people reportedly planned to kill Ukraine‘s defence minister and head of its military intelligence agency.
This news shared by The Guardian could not be independently verified by Reuters.
There was no immediate reaction to Ukraine’s statement from Moscow or Russian state-run media.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Blasts have been heard in Russian-annexed Crimea
The sounds are reportedly coming from a military base.
Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
According to Oleg Kruchkov, an adviser to the Moscow-installed regional head, the blasts were reportedly in the western village of Novofedorivka.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Estonia & Finland want Europe to halt all Russian tourist visas
The leaders of Estonia and Finland want fellow European countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to take vacations in Europe while the government of Russia carries out a war in Ukraine.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote Tuesday on Twitter that visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right and that it is time to end tourism from Russia now.
A day earlier, her counterpart in Finland, Sanna Marin, told Finnish broadcaster YLE that it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists.”
Estonia and Finland both border Russia and are members of the European Union, which banned air travel from Russia after it invaded Ukraine. But Russians can still travel by land to both countries and apparently are then taking flights to other European destinations.
YLE reported last week that Russian companies have started offering car trips from St. Petersburg to the airports of Helsinki and Lappeenranta in Finland, which have direct connections to several places in Europe. Russias second-largest city is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Finnish capital.
Visas issued by Finland are valid across most of Europe’s travel zone, known as the Schengen area which is made up of 26 countries: 22 EU nations plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Normally, people and goods move freely between these countries without border checks.
Some EU countries no longer issue visas to Russians, including Latvia, which made that move this month because of the war.
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